Small Blessings
by charlibubble
Summary: response to the CSIFO thanksgiving FanFiction challenge. GSR all the way :D reviews are loved x


**My entry to the CSIFO November Fanfiction challenge, hope you like! Oh this was a toughie, bear in mind I know NOTHING of Thanksgiving traditions and these 1000 word limits are killer! I could have gone on and on with this one. As always reviews are loved xxx**

Thanksgiving was not a holiday she ever put much emphasis on. Growing up in foster care she had been passed through various traditions for celebrating it and it had most definitely lost its flair. This year was no different, working on a holiday went one of two ways it was either deathly quiet or it was so busy you didn't get time to breathe. Walking through the lab it looked like tonight was to be the former.

The DNA lab was empty, the break room deserted, the locker room void of life as she slipped out of her jacket and hung it up. Believer or not the holidays always cast a nostalgic mood over her, a long buried photograph of her last family thanksgiving had literally fell at her feet the previous morning when she was looking for a book. She had stuffed it in her pocket and forgotten all about it until now. The faces smiling and happy, a mask, a façade that hid the turmoil and anger burning under the surface.

"What's that?"

Grissom made her jump as he materialised behind her. She knew he would be there, maybe even counted on it. If she couldn't be thankful for her family she could at least be thankful for small blessings such as Gil Grissom. Not that she would tell him that, he was sure to run a million miles at the mere suggestion. If the past 5 years had taught her anything it was to exorcise a saint like patience with Grissom, as frustrating as that could be.

He stepped across the room, halting less than a pace behind her. She could feel his breath on her neck as he reached out to the photograph in her hands. She really should have snatched it away and avoided the question but she was learning, slowly, to open up and share more of herself with Grissom. She had spent a long time afraid of appearing vulnerable and needy. the veil had slipped spectacularly, she had shown him the most hidden recesses of her soul. Voiced her fears and her secrets, there was nothing else worth hiding.

"My last family thanksgiving, before… you know…"

"They didn't celebrate Thanksgiving in your foster homes?"

"Foster kids don't usually have a lot to be thankful for"

He nodded ever so slightly as he gazed at the image in his hands. He had never laid eyes on any of Sara's family. He noticed she bore a striking resemblance to her mother. The wide smile exhibited by the woman in the photograph mirrored Sara's, right down to the deep sadness in her eyes. A young pigtailed Sara, sat on her father's lap, looked out at him as though staring right into his soul. He passed the image back to her, it made him uncomfortable. The little girl in the image, so happy and innocent was now a woman. A woman he cared for a little too deeply.

"It's just us tonight, looks like it's going to be quiet though"

"I thought Greg was on too?"

"He had a family emergency"

Sara rolled her eyes, now she knew what all those cryptic texts from him were about earlier. Drunken Greg was no good at covering his tracks; he was also hopeless at using his cell phone. He had messaged her 12 times that day, each one of them more bewildering than the next.

"Sure he did"

Grissom was about to question her when Brass appeared in the doorway.

"Got a 411A coming in; they think it might be connected to a shooting in Henderson at the weekend. You guys wanna do your thing?"

A stolen vehicle was as exciting as the night got. Grissom cleared most of his paper work, Sara cleaned the break room, the boredom was excruciating. Eventually Sara flopped back on the chair in Grissom's office, watching him as he finished off whatever he was reading and dropped his glasses to look at her.

"Tell me about your thanksgivings... I bet they were a little more conventional"

"Actually no, my Mother was alone since I was 9. We didn't have a big traditional thanksgiving"

Her face visibly fell, she had obviously been expecting tales of a glorious family thanksgiving surrounded by loved ones and too much food and Grissom was suddenly gripped with a wonderful idea. She absentmindedly played with the corners of one of the many files littering his desk when he stood and made his way out of the room.

"Where are you going?"

"I… uh I have to take care of something. You… you just wait here. I'll be right back"

He wasn't right back, in actual fact he disappeared for almost an hour. She jumped when he appeared in the doorway again, frowning as he looked around at his newly organised office.

"You cleaned up?"

"I… sorry. I was bored. I thought you were coming right back?"

He smiled widely and waved her over to his side.

"Come with me, I've got something to show you"

She narrowed her eyes at him but followed his excited steps towards an interview room on the far side of the lab. They stood outside the thick door for a few long seconds while Grissom surveyed the quiet corridor to make sure they were alone. Satisfied he opened the door wide and ushered her through.

What awaited her on the other side of the door was a world away from what she expected. The sterile metal table was covered with a rich red tablecloth and a ridiculous amount of food. Her senses were attacked by the smells, the tastes, the look and the feel of the room. When she was sure she had taken in every detail she turned to him, confusion in her eyes. He pulled out her chair before taking the seat beside her and filling her glass and they ate together. The conversation flowing freely as they enjoyed their non-traditional Thanksgiving. Grissom raised a toast, the glasses clinking together as their eyes locked for a prolonged moment and something very special was born.

"Happy thanksgiving"


End file.
